Oxford and Flinders Street, Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.mardigras.org.au
Drinks, Canapés & Milk Crates
One of the most colourful and gay-friendly events in Sydney is the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. If you're crowd phobic, or homophobic for that matter, then it may not be your cup of tea but for those who join the festivities it can be an interesting and fun night. Finding a spot to view the parade is usually the biggest challenge but this year I found the crowds along Flinders Street across from The Local Taphouse less crowded and thankfully much easier to see the parade. Pre drinks and yummy canapés at a friends place nearby was a blessing to fuel the stomach for the lengthy standing ahead. The Prawn sandwiches were a clever and simple idea which I'll have to remember for my next catered party. The Bruschetta was packed with delicious garlic, basil and vine-ripened tomatoes from Fratelli Fresh. Homemade Spinach and Ricotta pastries were a fantastic treat and taste so much better than prepackaged ones. I've noticed over the years the floats have become smaller and less creative but the passion and energy of the spectators and participants remains proud and highly vocal in their support for the event. Sydney's milk crates are also left behind in their hundreds after the event as well.
SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
PROS: Free entertainment, Colourful, Gay-friendly
CONS: Crowded, Drunk people, Limited parking, Long time standing
MUST TRY: Making tasty bruschetta for my next dinner party
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Bombay Gin & Tonic with fresh lime
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)
Canapés
Cheesy puffs with Brie and Pesto, Chef Topher
Smoked salmon with cream cheese and cucumber, Chef Topher
Prawn sandwiches with rocket and aoili, Chef Topher
Spinach and ricotta pastries, Chef Nigel
Bruschetta, Chef Nigel
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)
Chicken satay skewers
HAPPY MARDI GRAS!
Mardi Gras Parade 2010
Flinders Street crowd opposite The Local Taphouse
Bobby Goldsmith Foundation stand
Milk crates galore after the parade
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9 comments:
that bruschetta looks delicious! as do the cheesy puffs
great photos as always simon!
Happy Mardi Gras people! Admittedly it's been many years since partaking in the parade and after party but it's nice to see it alive and well. Nice spread of nibbles you had though I would have passed on the G&T. Not a fan of gin :)
wowzer! Happily festive indeed! Never had Prawn sandwiches before, so these are my fist picks for a screen licking LOL
Happy Mardi Gras Simon! :)
Seems like you had a fun night! I missed out on Mardi Gras because it would have been a nightmare to get in from Randwick! Good to hear that it wasn't so crowded though.
Food looks lovely, I want to try those cheesy puffs (I love brie)
Gorgeous Mardi Gras pics :)
Thanks for the lovely comment on my blog. Mia's apology letter is something I will always treasure.
Have been a long time reader of your blog - love it.
cheers Belinda.
hi kristy, the recipe it's actually from a Jamie Oliver cookbook too. thanks for the compliments.
hi john, i'm thinking gin is an acquired taste. i didn't like it many years ago but now it's my preferred spirit. for some people the taste is too strong but perhaps i'm just used to it now. i find it refreshing.
hi adrian, they're actually from some woman's weekly recipe book hehe they worked really well and easy to eat.
hi lorraine, happy mardi gras to you too. i don't have foxtel so my only other option to see it was to see it live.
hi phuoc, i actually came from randwick area myself. buses were ok but they dropped everyone at foveaux st due to flinders st road closures. getting back was a problem though. didn't know where the buses were so walked home. good exercise! felt like i walked my own mardi gras by the end of it.
hi belinda, glad you like the photos. i only have an old ixus 70 compact digital so it's really hard to get night time shots of moving targets. it doesn't have image stabiliser etc — quite a challenge. i'd love to post that apology letter one day, it's so beautiful. thanks for following my blog. i really appreciate the comments. it's hard to know how many people actually read my blog without readers commenting.
Love the pics of the parade and the canapes look good! We watched it on TV this year and didn't go in for the first time in a while. To be honest it was a little soporific but it looked fun. Happy Mardi Gras!
hi joey, that's the second time you've used soporific hehe and i forgot what it meant so had to look it up again hehe :-) watching on tv is pretty good because you don't have to worry about the crowds and you get close ups but i guess you don't have the atmosphere and constant whistling which would have possibly kept you more awake :-)
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